Tricks and War
by magicalgirlsdeservemore
Summary: Not even Aphrodite could have seen Ymir falling for the new girl.
1. Chapter 1

Not even Aphrodite saw this coming.

Ymir, undetermined, residing in the Hermes cabin is _awful_. Well, maybe awful is too harsh of a word, but she is sly, good at fighting one on one, and _great _at insults. Even though Hermes hasn't claimed her as his own, everyone is certain she's his daughter, especially Chiron.

At first glance she doesn't look like she could be _that _skilled in sword fighting, she's tall with tan skin and a ton of freckles. Usually, she looks as if she's bored or planning a prank. But with a sword in her hand, she becomes menacing, the few friends she does have get scared. And she reeks of power, something uncommon for a child of Hermes. The other half-bloods are right to steer away from her.

Ymir doesn't mind that many campers are scared of her, she embraces it, encouraging her reckless behavior. What she _does _mind is the fact that even though she's been at Camp Half-Blood for _years_ (turning eighteen in a few months) no parent has claimed her as theirs. She knows everyone thinks her dad is Hermes, but she isn't sure.

When Ymir meets Christa Renz, the newest member of Cabin 11, her mind goes blank. A year younger, this girl is _gorgeous_, and nice. Ymir forgets about her reputation, and volunteers to give Christa a tour of camp. Her cabin mates are shocked, but know better than to say anything.

Christa is shy at first, but quickly warms up to Ymir.

"Have you fought any monsters?" Christa asks the taller girl, eyes wide, giving Ymir the impression she's scared.

"I fought off a dracaena once." Ymir says.

Christa is grinning. "Really? That's awesome? Do they have them here at camp? Do I get to fight a monster soon?" she questions excitedly, catching Ymir off guard.

"Whoa! No we don't have them here, if you're lucky, you won't have to fight anything out there." she explains, surprised by the new girl's enthusiasm.

Christa pouts, and Ymir notices the makeup she has on, perfectly applied.

"Besides," she adds. "I'm guessing you're the daughter of Aphrodite, fighting probably isn't your thing."

There is a wild look in Christa's eyes, making Ymir regret her words.

"What makes you think I'm Aphrodite's?"

Ymir gulps. "You're uh, really pretty, and fragile looking. Plus your makeup, I just assumed…"

Christa huffs in a manner that doesn't help her cause. "I think I'll go back to the cabin now."

Ymir tries to protest, but she can tell Christa is angry, so she backs off. Glumly, Ymir wanders around, till dinner. She's one of the first ones seated, and hopes Christa will sit next to her, but she doesn't, she's at the far side of the picnic table. Ymir sighs, aware she blew it.

Dionysus makes a toast, welcoming the new camper, History Rice. Chiron has to correct him, and Dionysus unapologetically says Historia Reiss.

"Actually, I go by Christa." Christa pipes up, barely heard.

After dinner, Ymir scrambles over to Christa in the overcrowded cabin.

"Here." she says, handing the blonde a bag of toiletries and a clean pillow. "Sorry about earlier."

Christa blinks and murmurs a thank you. Ymir gives her a small smile and makes her way to her bunk.

The next day, in the arena, Ymir is effortlessly sword fighting with fellow campers, proud of her victories against Reiner (son of Hephaestus) and Annie (daughter of Hermes).

She wipes some sweat off her brow, and nearly drops her sword when she sees Christa, armored up and holding a blade that looks too heavy for her.

"Are you serious?"

Christa nods. Ymir can't help but smirk.

"Okay, but just because you're new, don't expect me to go easy on you."

Ymir makes a swing, and Christa blocks it without a problem. This continues, and Ymir finally understands that Christa is no daughter of Aphrodite. Ymir wins, but barely.

Ymir walks over to shake her hand.

"You, uh, you're good. You definitely proved me wrong." Ymir laughs nervously.

Christa smiles a smile so sweet it's hard to believe she's not related to the Goddess of Love.

"That was my goal. Want to show me around the rest of camp?" the blonde asks, her cheeks rosy from fighting.

"Right now?" Ymir responds.

Christa frowns. "Unless you have something else planned."

"I just um, I'm sweaty."

"So am I!" Christa points out, ignoring how flustered Ymir is. "So are you going to show me or not?"

Ymir does, and the two get along much better than last time. Ymir receives a few surprised glances from others, and she can't help but hear the whispered "Ymir is being nice?" If Christa hears them, she's paying no attention.

When a few Ares members approach them, Ymir does her best to look tough on the outside, even though she's panicking.

"So we finally know your type, huh?" a muscular son of Ares asks.

Ymir turns faintly red. "What are you talking about, punk?"

"After always being mean to newcomers," the other one begins. "You've actually grown soft, for a _girl_." he snickers. "It's pretty pathetic."

"What are you talking about?" Christa butts in.

"Just how the rudest camper is actually a big mushy _dyke_." the two laugh.

Ymir clenches her fists and the air is chilled- an abnormity that the perfect weather is supposed to prevent.

"So what?" Christa glares at them, a sight even more frightening than Ymir's classic death stare.

A few more campers, gather around, staring and waiting for a potential fight.

A holographic spear is above the blonde's head.

Ymir gestures up, and Christa gasps in surprise. She recovers quickly.

"Is this any way to treat your sister's friend?" Christa asks her half-brothers. They shake their heads, instantly realizing their mistake.

"That's what I thought." Christa grabs Ymir's hand and leads her away, leaving the other campers astonished. Christa doesn't stop walking till they're near an entrance to the woods.

"You- you're the daughter of Ares." Ymir says.

"Are you really that surprised?" Christa asks, fierce looking. She softens when she notices how sad Ymir looks. "What's wrong?"

"It's just, this is only your second day at camp, and your father claimed you. I've been here for _years_ and I don't know who my dad is." Ymir answers, her breath a little shaky. "I'm glad you know yours though."

Christa gives Ymir a small smile. "I wish you knew who yours was, do you have any idea?"

The taller girl shakes her head. "Chiron suspects it's Hermes, and that… kind of makes since there's this one trick, but I don't know why he wouldn't have claimed me yet."

"What trick?" Christa asks.

Ymir grins darkly.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Wow I was not expecting to write a new chapter so soon but here it is!**

* * *

There's something scary about Ymir's smile, Christa thinks, but it's too late to back out now. The sun is beginning to set, and Ymir is walking along the trees, looking for something.

"What trick?" Christa asks again.

"Well, Hermes is the god of travelers, right?" Ymir says.

She tries not to laugh at how ridiculous the older girl looks, spinning around in the shrubbery. Christa rolls her eyes instead. "And thieves." she points out.

"Hey, I've never stolen anything before!" Ymir claims, pacing back and forth between some shrubs and a bush.

"I find that hard to believe."

Ymir motions her to come over, and Christa daringly walks to her. The brunette is grinning for a moment, but then she frowns.

"Shit. Um, I've never done this with another person before but..." she trails off.

"But?" The shorter girl presses on.

"I think you need to hold on to me." Ymir looks incredibly flustered.

_Now_ Christa laughs. "Ymir if you wanted to fool around you could have just said so."

Ymir's jaw drops and she looks over Christa's head. "No I'm serious!" She glances back down. "If you wanna go you have to hold on."

It's Christa's turn to turn red as she reluctantly wraps her arms around her waist.

"But you know, if you wanna fool around we can do that later." Ymir suggests. Before Christa can utter a response the world goes cold and pitch black. Everything is a blur. Christa feels like she's going to be sick.

She shuts her eyes and holds on to Ymir tighter. She hears a few muffled apologies and feels a tense Ymir hold her back.

The movement stops, but she remains in her position.

"You can open your eyes now. I hope you like California."

Christa blinks her eyes open and gasps. There's a bright sky and the view of the ocean.

"How did you- wow."

Ymir's holding her breath- Christa's still holding on to her.

"You can let go now." Ymir laughs, trying to keep it from being awkward for the other girl.

Christa wordlessly lets go of her hands and starts walking towards the beach.

"You brought us to California." she states.

"I just said that."

"California is on the west coast."

"Glad you know your geography."

"You got us here in less than ten minutes."

"Six minutes and a half, to be exact."

"How?"

"Shadow travel." Ymir stretches casually. She yawns. "I could go for a nap."

"Are you serious?" Christa asks, appalled.

Ymir shoots her a dirty look. "I literally just teleported us from sea to shining sea and you're surprised that I'm _tired?_"

Christa looks bashful. "Sorry I wasn't thinking…"

Ymir yawns again, and sits under a tree, on the grass that borders the sand. "Just wake me up in fifteen minutes…" She begins snoring instantly.

Christa sits next to her. The whole transition from being a regular mortal girl to a half-blood hasn't been easy, even though it's been three days since her mother told her about Camp. She looks at Ymir fondly. This little escape has been strange but nice. Christa shudders to think of the trouble they could get into, she's not sure of all the rules, but she's pretty sure they broke at least fifty.

She glances over at the beach, it's not very crowded surprisingly. There's a few swimmers, sunbathers, and a dog. She's tempted to walk over to the shoreline, but she imagines she'd stick out in her orange Camp Half-blood t-shirt. Plus, she doesn't want to leave a sleeping Ymir by herself.

_Ymir_. Their relationship is strained but simple. She leans over to touch Ymir's face but swiftly brings her hand back. They barely know each other, but already Christa is falling for her. Christa's known she liked girls since she was eight. She's never had much luck though, despite her angelic appearance, she's been known for her attitude and well, friendlessness. She always had to move around, she assumed it was because of the Reiss industry but now she wonders if there's more… she always knew she wasn't the daughter of Rod Reiss, but her mother…

Her thoughts are interrupted by a gorgeous woman in a vintage black and white striped swimsuit, who is headed over her way. _Please don't acknowledge us_, she prays. But the woman does. Christa frowns for a second, and then her mind turns to mush. The woman's appearance keeps changing, from one beautiful figure to the next, looking at her is like looking at the clouds.

"Hello, Historia." she says, breathtakingly.

Christa attempts to correct her by saying "Christa" but her words come out untranslatable.

The lady gestures for Christa to follow her, and she's very enchanting. Christa wants to go. But with guilt she looks at Ymir, she can't just leave her lying there.

"Don't worry about…your friend. My attendants will look after her, she won't even realize you're gone." Sure enough, there are several doves flying around Ymir peacefully and cooing. Christa walks after the woman in a trance, to a fancy cabana she swears wasn't there a minute ago. The lady sits down on an expensive looking beach chair, Christa does the same.

"I'm sorry your father couldn't make it, there are certain rules he must abide to when it regards his children." the woman chirps.

"My father?" Christa murmurs.

"Mhm! My boyfriend." the woman literally pulls a mirror out of thin air, admiring herself.

_My dad has a girlfriend?...Oh."_

"You're Aphrodite." she states, embarrassed, looking down. "Goddess of Beauty, Love and…" her face reddens. "Sex."

"That's right." the goddess chirps, applying lipstick that is changing colors. "Don't worry dear, you're not the first hero I've come to visit, and you won't be the last." she sighs happily, as if she knows all about the love lives of future half-bloods who have yet to be born.

"Why are you here exactly?" Christa asks, putting her guard up, her head becoming clearer.

"I was born from the sea." Aphrodite explains. "And I couldn't exactly ignore the two girls who are the _highlight _of Olympian gossip now, could I? Especially when your romance took _me_ by surprise."

"The what?" she squeaks, covering up her face.

Aphrodite laughs giddily. "There's nothing to be ashamed about, be proud, before you know it the two of you will be bigger than Helen and Paris!"

Her stomach churns. "I…we barely know each other." she admits.

"So?"

"So it's not love."

"Not yet, don't worry, I have great plans in store for you."

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome, dear." Aphrodite applies more eye shadow.

"Um, Aphrodite?"

"Yes?" the Goddess of Love looks at her quizzically.

"Does no one care that we're, uh, lesbians?" she manages to get out.

Aphrodite laughs so loudly she's sure Ymir will wake up, being only twenty feet away.

"Honey, we're _Greek!" _she laughs again, shrill. "Did you not know why olive oil was invented?" she giggles. "Historia Reiss, you're talking to the Goddess of _Love_, what is it you mortals say, 'love is love?' What kind of power would I have if it only affected the heterosexual population?"

Christa feels relieved.

"Besides," the goddess adds. "My daughter Sappho was bisexual. She wrote some beautiful poetry, and her legacy is still here, thousands of years later."

The sun is beginning to set.

"Oh look at the time!" Aphrodite exclaims. "Historia, love is both a blessing and a curse. Only you can choose how your fate with Ymir turns out." She snaps her fingers, and they're both standing- the cabana is gone. "Also dear, your father claimed you because he believes you will make him proud." She gives Christa a longing glance. "If only it were one of _my_ daughters who fell in love with you." With a poof, she is gone.

Christa walks back to Ymir. She's awake, and trying to scare some doves away. Christa laughs softly, but feels nervous, looking at the taller girl.

"Where've you been? And help me get these stupid birds to leave me alone!"

A dove flies over to Christa and she holds up her hand, petting it.

"I was talking to someone."

Ymir gives her a skeptical glance. "Someone?"

Christa's heart races. "Aphrodite."

Ymir nearly falls but quickly composes herself. "What did Aphrodite talk to you about?"

"She uh…said my dad claimed me for a reason. And some other things."

"What other things?" Ymir's face is flushed.

"Well-" Christa gasps. "Ymir, where did those skeletons come from?"

Ymir turns around, shocked to see six marching skeletons headed their way.


	3. Chapter 3

Ymir relaxes after a moment.

"It's okay, they're not going to hurt us."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"I can tell." Ymir purses her lips. She can't explain how she knows, but she can _feel _it. She decides it's better not to tell Christa about how these skeleton guys show up after she's in one place for too long. She's assumed it's because of the shadow travel, or because she's a demigod away from home. She groans, the thought of going back to Camp Half-Blood does not sound appealing, but she could just go to bed right away.

"Okay, princess, it's time to go back."

"We're not going to fight them?"

Ymir snorts. The sky is growing darker and it's not hard for her to find a shadow that will work. "No we're not going to fight them, does it look like either of us have weapons?" She crosses her arms, waiting. "Will you get over here already?"

To Ymir's gratitude Christa isn't thickheaded like her siblings and walks over right away.

"Eager are we?" she smiles deviously as she clutches onto Ymir.

Needless to say, Chiron is infuriated when they return, their absence heavily noted considering Chiron did not get to speak with Christa after she got claimed. A nymph reported the two disappearing in the woods- literally. It doesn't help their case when they reappear out of thin air- outside the pavilion at dinner time.

Not getting the chance to eat, they are dragged to the Big House, to be lectured by the centaur and Mr. D.

Ymir, physically drained, has barely any energy to be witty.

"Did you two seriously think you could leave camp _without _being noticed?" Dionysus asks, not bothering to look up from his pinochle cards, even though there is no game being played.

Ymir shrugs. "I've done it before." she admits.

"How?" Chiron asks.

"Oh you know." Ymir says meekly. "Shadow travel."

The air gets cold, and Mr. D looks up from his cards. Ymir tenses noticing how uncomfortable everyone is. Chiron and the God of Wine make eye contact. Christa puts her hand on Ymir's shoulder in attempt to comfort her.

"Does this have to do with the skeletons?" Christa questions.

Chiron stills.

"His- Christa why don't you go to the kitchen and ask for some food? I know you must be hungry after today's… adventure." Chiron suggests.

"I'm not leaving Ymir." she says, determined.

"Christa just go." Ymir speaks, her voice hoarse.

"I'm not going to let you get punished for something you didn't do alone."

"Look, Christa I don't want you here alright? Please just leave." Ymir wishes she could take those words back, but Christa whips her hand away from her shoulder and solemnly exits the room.

Chiron gives her that disappointed teacher look.

"What?" she spits. "If what you're concerned about is true, it's best she doesn't get attached to me."

"It's a bit too late for that." Mr. D mutters.

"My dear," Chiron begins. "I'm afraid there's no way my concerns aren't true. I had hoped my fears were wrong."

Ymir looks down, staring at her knees.

"You're the daughter of Hades." The centaur looks pained. "How you made it this far unnoticed is a miracle."

Ymir laughs darkly, and laughs harder with the disapproving looks they're giving her. "It's funny, really." Her voice is harsh. "I've been here for years neglected by my father, and a few months before my eighteenth birthday, I find out _I'm_ the one in the prophecy. The one who's supposed to _save_ you guys. And _die _for it. Right after I meet this really great girl you know?" her words are shaky.

"Ymir, there are different interpretations of the prophecy-"

"No it's perfect, don't you see? Think about how many of the campers _hate _me- and don't tell me they don't. But lucky me gets to win them over by sacrificing my miserable life for their sorry asses. Or I get to side with the Titans and kill them all, either way I die so what's the point?" She stands up. "What's the point?" her eyes widen and she runs out of the building.

She stands to the side of the Big House, bending down and heaving, for the first time in her life she feels terrified.

"Ymir?" a soft voice asks, worried.

Christa is standing in front of her, her big blue eyes wide and concerned. "Ymir, what's wrong?"

"You need to stay away from me."

Christa shakes her head. "Oh no, you are _not _pushing _me _away."

Ymir's legs fail her and she's on the ground. Christa kneels next to her and cradles her head with her arms.

"My father is Hades." she chokes out.

"So? He's not the worst god ever."

"Christa there's no cabin for Hades here, have you ever wondered why?"

Christa doesn't have an answer for that. Ymir shifts away from Christa's touch, cursing every Greek God and Goddess mentally, the one time a girl actually likes her back is as she finds out her soul's getting reaped in a few months.

"I'm going to die." Ymir reveals, eyes downcast.

Christa sighs and crosses her legs. Ymir can tell she's trying not to roll her eyes.

"Ymir _everybody dies_. Your dad is literally the God of Death I don't why you're freaking out about this."

"There's a prophecy you don't know about." Ymir makes eye contact with the blonde. She takes her hand as she explains it, hunched over and weary. She's expecting the girl to leave once she knows the truth, part of her wants her to. If Christa doesn't get too close she can't get hurt once she dies in a few months' time.

But Christa doesn't let go, she squeezes her hand tighter. "You don't have to do this alone." she says tenderly.

No one has ever showed Ymir so much kindness. She could care less about preserving Olympus, but now, looking at Christa's smile, Ymir thinks she wouldn't mind dying if it means the girl will be safe.

**AN: ****Yeah so I know the prophecy is 16 years old not 18 but I tweaked it for the purposes of keeping Ymir a little older. And sorry I think this chapter is a little shorter but I have a better idea of how this plays out so I'll have more soon.**


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